1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fence support that is inexpensive and may be easily and quickly installed, and to gate adapters for attaching a gate to a T-post.
2. Background Discussion
Typical rural fences consist of a fencing material such as wired type mesh or barbed wire stretched over posts made of wood or metal. These posts are either driven into the ground with sledgehammers or powered or manual drivers, or a hole is dug into the ground, the post is inserted into the hole, and then concrete is poured into the hole and allowed to harden. Installing such fence posts is both laborious and time consuming. For example, it normally takes about an hour to install a post by digging a hole, inserting the post, and pouring in the concrete.
It is sometimes desirable to brace the post using, for example, angle iron, a tee post, or tubing. One end of the brace is bolted to the top of the post and the other end is inserted into a hole in the ground and filled with concrete. A right triangle is formed, with the post and surface of the ground being the legs of triangle and the brace being the hypothenuse. Sometimes the braces pounded into the ground and then bolted or welded to the top of the post. This requires some skill and luck to make the brace intersect the top of the post at the desired position and angle. Frequently, the brace does not end up were desired.
If the post is not in the ground deep enough, or if the ground is soft, for example sandy or wet, the post is pulled from the ground when the fencing material is stretched from the post. The braces remain in place, but the post rises from the ground in much the same way that a pole vaulter is vaulted from the ground when he makes his jump. When this happens there is not a good solution. Typically, sand bags or rocks are placed around the post and positioned to exert a force in a direction opposite to the force being exerted by the stretched fencing material.